Writing Across Boarders

by David Tibergien

1) As a writer, I have different culture preferences than a lot of other Midwestern Americans. A lot of the institutions that teach and facilitate academic, journalistic and political writing value rhetorical economy. I like to employ magniloquent phrases, compound complex sentences, and a flavorful vocabulary in my work. While I understand that such writing might not necessarily appeal to a broad audience, it does appeal to those with whom I feel that I am culturally aligned. I don't write for 3rd generation foundry workers or anyone who argues with straight face that NASCAR is a sport, especially Kassidy.

I feel at an impasse when I am asked to employ a method and a style that are typically mandated in academia; much the same way a foreign student might be frustrated when they are asked to adapt to academic English. In the film a student from Ecuador said that she was accustom to putting the main idea in the middle of their writing while all that comes before it builds up to that main topic. A Turkish student said that she was used to using complex sentences and artful language because it produced a pleasing prose. The cultural differences of each of these students are at odds with much of the writing demands that they encounter in the United States.

6) If an ESL student had told me that they wanted their graduate application statement to sounds exactly like it was from a native speaker, I would first examine their motives.

First I would try to find out why do they want to sound like a native speaker, especially since academia usually rewards diversity. I suspect that their concern could stem from a perceived xenophobia or a lack of confidence in their writing skills.

I would suggest to the student that rather than making them sound like a native speaker, that we work to produce a writing that is original and in their own voice while striving to avoid things that might be a barrier to their admittance to the program for which they are applying.

Otherwise, it is unethical to help a client produce a writing that isn't an example of his or her style, voice and sensibilities. For sure, it does not give the admissions officer a sense of how that student will perform in the classroom.